The Post-Spring Top 25 from Andy Staples definitely gave us plenty to chew on, but just like in every rankings, some teams are getting way more love than they probably should right now.
Hope is part of the magic of college football, but it also means a few programs are riding a hype train that could derail by midseason. Let’s take a closer look at five teams that might be feeling themselves a little too much heading into the summer.
Full Post-Spring Top 25 (via Andy Staples)
Here's a look at On3's Top 25:
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Clemson
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Oregon
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Florida
- Texas Tech
- South Carolina
- Auburn
- SMU
- LSU
- Arizona State
- Michigan
- BYU
- Ole Miss
- Miami
- Tennessee
- Nebraska
- Iowa State
- Louisville
- Iowa
The 5 most overrated teams in On3's Post-Spring Top 25
11. Texas Tech
Texas Tech bought themselves a roster this offseason, and that’s great on paper. But the Red Raiders still went 8-5 last year, and there's no guarantee all those transfers will gel right away. When you live by the portal, you can also die by it. Should they be ranked? Yes. Should they be No. 11? Definitely not. That’s giving way too much credit to a team that hasn’t proven anything together yet.
13. Auburn
Jackson Arnold’s arrival and some fresh talent have Auburn fans dreaming big, but we’re talking about a program that went 5-7 and missed a bowl game a year ago. How does that team, even with improvements and solid recruiting, suddenly deserve to start the year at No. 13? If you want to sneak Auburn into the back of your Top 25, sure. But throwing them in the Top 15 feels like pure wish-casting.
7. Alabama
Alabama is Alabama, but this isn’t the same machine we’re used to. Kalen DeBoer is a great coach, but there's still a difference between him and Nick Saban. The roster took some serious hits from the NFL Draft, and the quarterback situation is far too questionable. No. 7 just feels like a “we’re too scared to rank them lower” move. They’ll be good — but not that good, not yet.
9. Illinois
Bret Bielema is building something real at Illinois, no doubt. Returning talent matters, and Luke Altmyer could take a big leap at quarterback. That being said, No. 9 in the country is too high. That’s an awfully big bet for a program that hasn’t sniffed this kind of national relevance in decades. Top-15? Sure. Top-10? It feels a little forced.
10. Florida
If D.J. Lagway is healthy and everything clicks, Florida could be very good.
But betting on that outcome right now, especially when Lagway spent most of the spring sidelined with a shoulder issue, is a risky play. Combine that with a brutal schedule, and it feels irresponsible to start the Gators in the Top-10. Like Illinois, I could get onboard with a top-15 ranking for Florida, but knowing that their star quarterback — who is the sole reason Billy Napier is still employed right now — is coming off injury gives absolutely no reason that Florida should be in the top-10.